against the stopwatch to work on his speed . The Austrian will then switch his attention to the opening round of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship , scheduled for 7-9 May .
Michael Walkner - GASGAS Enduro Factory Team Junior Rider : " This is so exciting for me . I ride GASGAS bikes almost every day so to now be competing for the brand , it ’ s a real honor . Recently , I had been testing suspension settings together with Andrea Verona – the current Enduro1 World Champion – which was my first big test in such a professional environment . I learned so much and it was during those few days that I decided I wanted to give racing my best effort . I will have a small team , just myself , my family , support from GASGAS and other partners , but it will be great . In the past I had some small successes just with my family behind me , so with support from GASGAS I ’ m excited to see how I can progress . To think about the world championship title now would be premature , but it is definitely my long-term goal . For sure , in 2021 it ’ s unlikely , but the end goal is to be one of the best riders . I want to give everything and make the most of this opportunity . I can ’ t wait for the first round .” gives him the backing he needs to compete at the next level . We know that he has the talent and drive to improve , he is young and very motivated , and also already has some international racing experience , so we ’ re looking forward to watching him progress as the year develops . We ’ re not putting any big expectations on Michael , we simply want to help him develop his talent and allow him to take on the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship with the right level of technical support .”
Fabio Farioli – GASGAS Factory Racing Enduro Team Manager : “ Supporting Michael as an official GASGAS Factory Racing junior rider
VOL . 6 ISSUE 4 - APRIL 2021 // PAGE 31